The myriad of differing web design software products available, means that internet entrepreneurs can often be left in the dark when it comes to choice. Not everybody has the luxury of a web designer, or development team to hold their hand, to make these important decisions for them. I am going to try to explain the facts with this web design software comparison.

There are two routes you can take – Free, or Expensive

The Free Route – If you are looking for free web design software, you should really be using WordPress. The number one reason being that Google loves WordPress! And you want your site ranked on Google page one don’t you?

WordPress is the most user friendly platform for website design. It is fully customisable meaning it can be moulded into virtually any web page design.

Originally built and designed with bloggers in mind, internet marketers have seized upon its functionality and ease of use, to build a money making machine that tops the search engines every time. The unique use of ‘plug ins’ that can be woven into the basic web page make it look and feel like the design of an internet giant – little does the user know its free!

There are two versions of WordPress. Hosted for you, and self hosted.

Here you need to make a choice. If you choose for WordPress to host the site, this option is completely free – forever. However you need to weigh up the pros versus cons. Firstly you will have a domain with ‘WordPress’ in the title, therefore not fully branded to yourself,and bear in mind, as it is hosted by someone other than yourself you do not have full control and WordPress basically own your content.

The best, most amazing option is to use WordPress but host it yourself. This means you will have to buy a domain name (very cheap) and buy hosting for the domain – some good offers around at the moment. I currently use hostgator which is around $6 per month. (Not bad for owning your own business). Using this method you now own your own domain and content, and you can update it, change the graphics, the theme, the header add video, make a blog or a sales page, all within the free control panel provided.

The WordPress platform is definitely the best web design software available.

Why is it the best?

Here are the cold hard facts –

Free

Fully customisable

Easy to use (if you can cut and paste, and drag and drop – your in!)

Google loves it – SEO friendly

Easy to monetize

You have complete control of your business

It is the best blogging platform

There are tons of free training tutorials available

I use it

The Expensive Route – Get your website designer, marketer, graphics team, SEO experts and business development team to tell you all about this, if you can afford it! Then you will know the ideal best web design software.

If you were online many years ago, before the internet first became a household word, maybe you can remember how jumbled and chaotic all those early webpages were. Everybody wanted to put everything they possibly could on their sites. It was like a giant collage of content, and the net surfer didn’t know where to aim the mouse first!

Now, we’re in the era commonly known as “web 2.0.” This is the age of eBay, blogs, social networking, wikis and instant messaging. The web has changed, and web design has changed along with it.

Web 2.0 design is the new and improved version of the internet. Gone are the endless, long scrolling screens, or the sites with tiny texts and bland colors. Web 2.0 design is simpler and bolder. As a webmaster, you should be hip to these changes to improve your internet marketing. To that end, here are a few of the best web design sites where you can hone up on web 2.0 design ideas.

Web design is one of the more mystifying parts of starting your own website. Unless you are a “design person,” you may not know much about what looks good or bad, and what works and doesn’t work. This site is simple and straightforward, and has lots of easy explanations with screen shot examples.

The site is in a simple blog format. Along the left sidebar there are topics like “basics,” “design process” and “site architecture.” It not only discusses basic design principles (i.e. which designs work best), but that actual nuts and bolts of doing your own design in HTML or CSS. Everything is thoroughly covered, and the site walks you through each process step-by-step. The site also has a variety of tutorials that make it even easier.

Web Design From Scratch is a great general overview of the steps you need to take. It also shows you all the different options you have to choose from.

This site is colorful and easy to navigate. It has screenshots showing you exactly what to do, and simple tutorials that any idiot could use. With Photoshop Lab you can tackle some of the more complicated graphics programs that might now be intimidating.

The site has tips for using different programs, the latest news and reviews in the web design world, and a handy list of links to other sites with tutorials and tips. You can also search the site for specific information.

Photoshop Lab is a more topic-oriented site, so it’s most useful when you’re looking for some specific information about your design.

Template World: [http://www.templateworld.com]

Here’s a site that you can really use. This site offers you templates that you can use for your sites. This takes some of the headache out of having to design your site pixel for pixel.

Along the sidebar they list different categories. If, for example, you have a pet-oriented website, you can click on the “animals” category, and it shows you the most popular templates.

Template World has a huge variety of great ready-made website designs, but there’s one catch – it’s not free. You have to become a member, and membership runs about $50 for a half-year. But, that’s still cheaper than hiring a designer to make it for you.

We really shouldn’t be complaining about how tough it is; designing a website has never been easier than it is today. You can do it all by yourself with any one of these handy Web 2.0 design websites – they’re the best.